


Diplomatic Immunity

by garbage_dono



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alternate season...6 I guess?, Aphrodisiacs, Awkward Sexual Situations, Diplomacy, Established Relationship, Exhibitionism, F/M, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, One where Lotor doesn't get done dirty and they get married instead, Power Couple Lotura, Sass, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vomit Mention, empress allura - Freeform, let Allura say fuck 2k18, so much sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-27 13:38:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15686514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbage_dono/pseuds/garbage_dono
Summary: The conception of Allura and Lotor's first child involves two planets, a peace treaty, the threat of interplanetary war, and a fruit tart.Who says diplomacy can't be thrilling?





	1. Kworl

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as always, to the Lotura Discord Fam for enabling me. You know who you are. :V

Pidge had her legs folded underneath her, her gaze fixed intently on the navigation panel. Her glasses glinted as she studied the screen. “Approaching the Frakas-Kworl system within the next…half a varga, Princess,” she said.

From the other side of the room, Keith chimed, “Empress.”

“Empress. Right.” It sounded like an afterthought as she turned back to the screen.

Not that Allura minded. The title was more or less ornamental – important for politics, but meaning little to her personally. She smiled. “Normally I’d say that ‘princess’ is still perfectly fine. In the case of this mission, though…I think the title may be more important than ever.” She allowed herself a small sigh. “This will not be an easy mission. We’ll need to maintain utmost diplomatic presence if we’re going to make any progress.”

Hunk looked wary. “How long has this war been going on between these planets again?”

“It’s less of a war and more of a feud, really,” Coran told him. “All posturing and threats, but no actual violence, thank the ancients. Still, we can’t take any risks. If it does erupt into an all-out war, it will have been nearly five hundred deca-phoebs in the making.”

“All the more reason that this mission is more important now than ever,” Allura added. “If we’re going to add these planets to the Galra-Coalition Alliance, we need to do so for both of them. Any hint of favoritism toward one or the other, either on the part of Voltron or the new Galra Empire, could send them tipping over the edge.”

“So all we need is a little charm,” Lance said with a grin. “We got plenty of that, between us and the princess.”

“ _Empress,_ ” Keith insisted again.

“The Coalition _is_ growing faster than ever,” Pidge added, and she smirked. “But I think it has more to do with the royal wedding than it does anyone’s _charm._ ”

Allura felt her cheeks flush. “That’s precisely why we’re doing this together,” she said with a nod. “The one thing that Frakas and Kworl can agree on is their support of the Galra-Coalition Alliance and Voltron. We’ll use that to our advantage.”

“They did send some lovely wedding gifts,” Coran chimed in. “A beautiful crystal sculpture of Lotor and a hand-carved engraving of Allura’s likeness. Spot-on too.” He frowned as he tugged on his mustache. “Though for the life of me I can’t remember which planet sent which…”

“So this should be easy, right?” Hunk asked. “I mean, if they already both support the Coalition, what’s stopping them from joining up right away?”

“Apparently both of them want to be able to say they joined before the other,” Shiro sighed. Allura didn’t blame him – he’d been privy to some of their preliminary discussions with the two planets to set up this meeting.

There had been a lot of yelling and little progress. But at least they had managed to settle on a date for their arrival.

“Approaching the neutral zone moon now,” Pidge announced, and the two planets came into view, just behind the horizon of the large moon nestled between them.

The importance of timing for this mission had been paramount. The neutral zone moon followed an abnormal orbit that shifted between the two planets every few deca-phoebs. Each planet’s people claimed ownership of the moon during its time in their orbit, but during the transition between the two, it was considered neutral ground.

It was the only way they could have a base of operations without suggesting favoritism toward either planet. It gave them exactly one and a half movements to negotiate a treaty to welcome them both into the Galra-Coalition Alliance.

Well…welcome was a strong word.

“Looks like Lotor beat us here.” Pidge said. Just on the other side of the moon, the Galra flagship was already docked and waiting. “Should we go ahead and hail him Prin- _Empress?_ ”

As it turned out, there was no need – Lotor opened a communication channel before Allura could reply. He stood on the bridge of his ship, the banner of their alliance stretched proudly behind them. The picture of a leader ready to take on the role of diplomat.

“Allura,” he said. “I trust you’re ready to begin the negotiations?”

“I hope we didn’t keep you waiting,” she replied with a smile.

“Not at all – I only arrived about a varga ago. We still have almost half the quintant to prepare before we’re due on the surface of Kworl.”

“You sure you two want to go down alone?” Lance asked, frowning. “I mean…shouldn’t Voltron be there for backup or something? You know, diplomatic backup?”

“We’re going to Frakas while the Emperor and Empress are going to Kworl,” Keith told him. “You know, so neither planet can argue that we picked them first?”

“Right – and Frakas is the super hot one, right?” Hunk didn’t look thrilled. “You know, navigating politics and all is stressful enough without sweating up the inside of my armor.”

Pidge dutifully pulled up the surface maps of both planets, pointing to Frakas – the smaller of the two and closer to the system’s sun. “Yeah, Frakas is the hot one. They get almost no rainfall, but the whole planet is covered in underground springs, so that’s pretty neat.” She nodded at the larger planet next. “Kworl is almost all ocean-”

“Oh, thank God,” Hunk sighed.

“-but most of the planet is ravaged by hurricane-force storms during most of the year.”

“ _Seriously?_ ”

“A little heat or a little rain never hurt anyone,” Shiro said with a sage nod. “Besides, we won’t be sightseeing. The meetings are all scheduled to take place in the planets’ capital cities. Indoors.”

“And for all their fighting with each other, the Frakians and the Kworlites are lovely people,” Coran chimed. “Very hospitable! As long as you don’t bring up the other planet to any of the diplomats.”

“And speaking of the diplomats,” Lotor said, deftly bringing up his own screen and uploading two more files to the castle’s interface. “I took the liberty of putting together some information on the planets’ leaders. Chancellor Preen of planet Frakas-“ He nodded at an image of a tall, slight figure with fiery red eyes and a mane of black hair covering almost every inch of green skin. “-and President Braug of planet Kworl.” The other had a shorter, stockier build, thick and jagged gray scales and horns running down the length of his four long arms. “Both are quite eager to start the process of joining our Alliance, as are their people. The difficulty will lie in ensuring that both planets feel equally important as we move forward.”

“And you don’t think sending the Emperor and Empress to Kworl first is gonna make Frakas feel any less important?” Lance asked.

Lotor offered a smile. “On the contrary – both planets may be even more eager to meet the paladins of Voltron than they are to speak with us. Still, Allura and my presence _together_ will emphasize the importance of uniting Frakas and Kworl under a common goal. Peace.”

“Yeah…you make a pretty good argument,” Lance admitted. Though he didn’t sound particularly happy about it.

Allura carefully studied the surface maps of the planets, eyes tracking over the mountains and vallyes of Frakas and the islands dotting Kworl’s oceans. “When all of the preparations are made, the people of Kworl will welcome Lotor and me to the capital city. We’ll spend four quintants there while Voltron spends the same amount of time on Frakas. After that, we’ll regroup here on the moon for one more quintant before Lotor and I head to Frakas.”

“And then we go to Kworl,” Pidge finished. “Got it.”

“Perfect – it’ll give us a chance to get our swimsuits,” Lance laughed.

Pidge looked less than thrilled. “Uh, I don’t ocean. Too many things swimming around in there.” She shivered. “Honestly, I’m more looking forward to Frakas and its active volcanoes.”

“Oh, now there are volcanoes there too,” Hunk sighed. “Awesome.”

“What about you, Keith?” Lance asked. “Are you down for a beach party on Kworl?”

“It’s a peace meeting, not a party,” Keith huffed.

“Bet Hunk and I could beat you at a chicken fight.”

“ _Lance,_ ” Shiro insisted.

While Allura wondered what in the stars a _chicken_ was, Coran was the next to speak up: “Now then – we ought to get ready. And by we, I mean all of you! I expect everyone to be freshly showered, powdered and groomed to make a good first impression on our newest allies-to-be!”

Well, Allura supposed this was it. Their mission started now.

* * *

The rest of the quintant passed in a flash, and almost before Allura realized it was time, her and Lotor’s bags were packed and loaded onto the shuttle. She was sure it would feel strange and awkward to board the ship in her dress rather than a flight suit, but part of sending a message of unity involved dressing the part.

Why in the stars that meant she had to let Dayak dress her, Allura would never know. But she didn’t put up a fight. She knew better than that.

“ _Tighter,_ ” the Galra woman insisted as she tugged roughly at the straps around Allura’s waist, and a curse died in her throat. “I heard that.”

“I don’t see how,” Allura gasped. “I can hardly breathe.”

“This is traditional attire for a Galran empress readying herself for the war of diplomacy. One must arm oneself as one would for any battle.” She pulled it even tighter and tied the next set of straps at Allura’s hips. “A straight back and strong posture is essential – those you command must always look _up_ to you, never down at you.”

Allura failed to see the point when almost every one of their Galran subjects was taller than she was, no matter what she was wearing. But she kept that thought to herself.

“Aren’t I meant to be ready for a fight at any time?” she grunted as she slouched. “I fail to see how this prepares me for anything but a fainting spell.”

“You will not _faint_.” Dayak’s crop hit her hip, and Allura straightened up. “The Blood Empress does not faint.”

Allura glanced at her. “She…swoons?” she offered, feeling clueless.

“She _stands,_ ” Dayak barked. “At the ready, always. With _straight shoulders._ ” Allura pulled her shoulders back. “Good.”

She thought the woman was smiling, such as it was. It was almost a twitch at the corners of her mouth, but for her that was quite the show of contentment. Allura sighed, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The dress was a far cry from her usual Altean garb – far tighter, for one thing, and a deep shade of violet accented with silver at the wrists and collar. The straps at her waist were onyx black and polished sleek; they would have blended entirely into the fabric of the dress itself had it not been for the thick woven texture of them catching even the tiniest glint of light in all their grooves.

She blinked at her own image. “This is going to be our first major diplomacy mission since the wedding,” she mused, barely even realizing she was doing it. “The first one we’ve undertaken together anyway.”

“The wedding itself was a diplomacy mission in its own right,” Dayak reminded her. “And a far more daunting one, too.” Allura opened her mouth. “Oh, of course you two married for more reasons than simply _politics,_ but you would both be fools to think your union didn’t shift the tide of this war.”

She closed her mouth again, and Dayak quickly added with a nod, “In our favor, for that matter. No easy feat. Compared to that, settling some ridiculous feud will be pup’s play.” She folded her arms behind her back and jutted her chin toward the door. “No, let’s get you to the shuttle. A Blood Empress is never late!”

Allura felt like she ought to thank her, but she knew that Dayak would only brush it off, and she only had so much breath to use to speak. So instead she followed without hesitation and hoped that the straight line of her shoulders would be thanks enough.

* * *

Lotor was waiting by the shuttle, and when he saw her, she could practically see him pushing the laugh down before it escaped. He took her hand. “You look…”

“Don’t you dare,” she muttered, glaring with all the strength she could muster with these damn straps cutting off every breath.

“I was going to say ravishing.”

She bet.

“A welcome party is waiting for us at the entrance of the capital city. Unfortunately there’s not enough space in the capital to accommodate the flagship, so the shuttle will have to do.” She was endlessly thankful for his help getting up the stairs and into the spacious cockpit. Otherwise she might have tarnished the good name of the Blood Empress by fainting against Dayak’s orders.

When the doors closed and they were clear of the shuttle bay, Lotor flicked on the autopilot to take them down to the planet’s surface and turned toward her. “First thing’s first,” he said. “Let me undo those blasted straps.”

She could have cried right there. “ _Bless_ you.”

He chuckled warmly as he pulled them loose and re-fastened them to rest comfortably under her ribs. Allura drew in a full breath and felt euphoric. “You’ll have to forgive Dayak. She can be a bit…old-fashioned in her views of tradition and diplomacy.”

“I hardly mind,” Allura sighed. “As long as those views don’t keep me from drawing a full breath, anyway.”

Their approach lasted half a varga, and when they dipped below the cloud belt and the capital came into view, she gasped – shimmering turquoise water stretched as far as she could see in every direction, sparkling in the light like crystal and swirling foamy and white against the sandy obsidian shores outside the city. Ancients…the planet was beautiful.

They landed smoothly on the shore, well above the tide line, and when the doors opened they were met with a warm salty breeze and a crowd of smiling faces. Allura counted twelve of them, all at least a head shorter than she was and looking at the two of them with gleaming green eyes. The shortest of them, in the middle of the small crowd, stepped forward first and settled into a deep bow.

It took him almost down to Allura’s knees, she realized. Maybe Dayak had been onto something when she’d preached about her subjects looking _up_ at her.

“Your majesties,” he said as he straightened up again with a soft grunt of effort. “I am President Braug. It’s an honor to welcome you to Kworl.”

“It’s an honor to be here,” Allura said, almost out of instinct. Thank the stars for Lotor relaxing the straps at her waist, or she wouldn’t have managed to look a single one of these people in the eye. “Your planet is absolutely stunning.”

Braug shot her a wide and gleaming grin, showing off rows of sharp teeth that stretched back so far it made Allura flinch. “I hope you’ll find the heart of our capital city even more to your liking!” He nodded toward a taller figure to his right, who came up almost to Allura’s shoulder. “This is Meer – she’ll be your guide during your time here. And of course we’ve prepared our most elite guard to accompany you through the city. Not that any of our people would dare do anything stupid.” His smile faltered. “Now if you were on Frakas, that might be a different story-”

“We’re certainly eager to see what your city has to offer,” Lotor quickly interjected.

Nice save, she thought.

Braug leaned back and laughed, deep and booming. “Of course, of course! Meer, show the Emperor and Empress to their quarters. And if they need anything else – anything at all – you come to me directly, understand?”

“I’m sure we won’t need to bother you-“ Allura started, but the taller figure was already bowing deeply.

“Of course, sir.”

The capital city of Kworl was a sprawling metropolis, lush with verdant trees and twisting blue-green vines that grew up around the buildings like tentacles. The convoy transporting them to the city center took a winding across sloping hills and valleys until they reached the massive towering structure at the city’s heart. It was a gigantic, spider-like building that stretched out in every direction, like the spokes of a wheel, and came to a high point several stories overhead.

“This is the Ocean Spire,” Meer told them. “Your quarters will be on the other side, overlooking the water.”

Allura’s chest swelled with glee. “Oh, how marvelous.”

Meer smiled. “The president wanted to spare no expense for your visit here.”

That much was obvious the moment they stepped into their chambers. The entire far wall was glass, seemingly stained blue by the vast expanse of water stretching out on the other side of it. Beside the windows there was a gigantic bed, piled high with pillows. The child in Allura wanted nothing more than to dive right into them.

“We’ve taken the liberty of providing some refreshments for you as well,” Meer said with a deep bow. The table near the door caught Allura’s eye – it was lined with bright red pastries. “The amorafruit tart is one of Kworl’s most famous dishes.”

“Amorafruit,” Allura mused as she studied them. “I’ve never heard of it before.” She reached for one of them – it was dense and heavy, covered in flakey sugar crystals and giving off a tangy, sweet aroma that made Allura’s stomach growl.

Meer straightened up with a wide smile and a glint in her eye that Allura couldn’t quite place. “Please, help yourself. I should warn you, though, they’re quite…potent.” Before Allura could ask her just what that was supposed to mean, she bowed her head once more. “If your majesties will allow me, I should return to see to the preparations for tonight’s meeting.”

“What do you think she meant by _potent?_ ” Allura asked after the door had closed.

Lotor was already studying the readout on his screen, and he turned it to show her the results of a scan she hadn’t even realized he’d run. “No toxins to speak of,” he said. “Just an ordinary tart.”

“Surely you don’t think these people would try to _poison_ us.”

“No,” he said. “But just to be on the safe side-“

A moment later, before she even had time to argue, he plucked the tart from her hands and popped it in his mouth in one fell swoop. “ _Lotor!_ ”

He grinned at her as he wiped an errant stream of juice from his chin and licked it off his thumb. “Hm…as I thought. Perfectly safe.”

“You knew that from the start – you just wanted to steal it away from me.” Allura pouted as she picked up another. “You brute.”

“Anything to keep my queen safe,” he said, and he dropped a kiss to her cheek.

Allura huffed and sank her teeth into the pastry before Lotor could snatch this one away too. Sticky sweetness exploded across her  tongue, tart and clean like fresh juniberries. She let out a hum. “I’m already starting to like this planet.”

“If you tell that to the Frakians perhaps they’ll bake you a whole cake to commemorate our visit,” Lotor offered.

“If only.”

She licked her fingers and watched Lotor settle on the bed, stretching out his legs and leaning back against the plentiful fluffy pillows stacked up behind him. She saw him like this more and more often, it seemed – casual, comfortable. With a lazy flick of his wrist he scrolled through their itinerary for the rest of their trip. “We have two vargas before we’re due to meet with Braug and his council…awfully considerate of them, giving us time to settle in.” He smirked at her. “And eat all their pastries.”

Allura quietly set down the second tart after one more bite.

“Please don’t deny yourself on my account.”

“I shouldn’t overindulge anyway,” she sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed. “The last thing I want is to show up in front of the council with red stains all over my dress.”

“You know, in the old days of Galra diplomacy, red stains on your dress would have been a badge of honor.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think they would have been amorafruit juice stains.” She leaned back, rolling her shoulders. This fabric felt _stifling._ Suddenly she couldn’t stand the feeling of it against her skin. “I’m sure Braug and his council will probably try to claim that if we were on Frakas right now, we would be pulled in a thousand different directions without having a chance to catch our breath.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that tomorrow,” Lotor told her as he scrolled farther through the itinerary. “Remember we’re meant to meet with the citizens of Kworl to hear their…concerns about the proposed treaty.” He squinted, his face stained pink from the glow of the screen in front of him. “From the looks of the preliminary reports, the most pressing concern amongst the people involves a fear of the Frakians draining Kworl’s oceans.”

Allura fell backward against the sheets. “Stars.” She ran her hands along the fabric under her palms. It was exquisitely soft, and every point of contact seemed to send pinpricks of sensation up the length of her fingers.

The taste of amorafruit lingered on her tongue, honey-sweet and deliciously tangy. Suddenly the most delightful scent hit her nose – not the light fruity notes of the pastries, but deeper, richer, muskier.

It was Lotor. She could _smell_ him. But not in a way that made it seem like he needed a shower. It was…nice. Enticing.

“Allura?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I…” Ancients, was that her voice? It must have dropped an entire octave, and it sounded like she had swallowed a mouthful of gravel. She watched Lotor’s tongue dance over his lips, his face the slightest bit flushed.

What was _wrong_ with her, swooning like a hormonal teen with her first crush? They were here on a mission. They were _diplomats,_ guests on this planet, here to negotiate a treaty to end a deca-phoebs-long feud and hopefully prevent a war.

And yet, gods, she sat up and realized she was _dripping_ down her thighs.

“What was in those tarts?” she mused, caring less and less about the answer as Lotor moved closer to her. Suddenly she could make out his pupils – wide black voids against the last tiny sliver of his irises.

He smelled _irresistible._ So she forgot about resisting at all and leaned in to kiss him. Her entire body _sang._

“How…” she breathed between increasingly frantic, hungry kisses. “…how long do we have before the first meeting with the council again?”

“Two vargas,” Lotor growled as he pulled her into his lap.

“ _Two vargas,_ ” she groaned. It didn’t sound like nearly enough time, considering how blazing hot her desire had suddenly been stoked. But then Lotor made quick work of tugging off that blasted dress, and she supposed they could make do.

Three rounds and five _bone-shattering_ orgasms later, Allura curled herself around Lotor’s body under the sheets. She nuzzled against his shoulder, letting out a contented hum as she watched the waves roll up against the cliffside outside of their window and listened to him purr.

She sighed. “That was…”

“Unexpected?” he offered.

“Phenominal.” She dropped a kiss to the back of his neck, and he pressed one against her knuckles. “Not to mention entirely unseemly.”

He shot her a smirk over his shoulder. “Well, luckily our generous hosts don’t need to know.”

So of course it was then, right as he finished speaking, that there was a sharp rap at their door.

She was up a second later, flying across the room with the sheets clutched to her chest. “ _Quiznak –_ I thought you said we had _two vargas-_ “

“We _did,_ ” he insisted. He was already pulling on his undersuit, growling in frustration when he got it on backwards. “That was-“ He glanced at the screen by their bed, and he paled. “Oh no…”

“What?”

“That was two and a half vargas ago.”

“ _Two and a half-_ “

The knocking came again, and Allura was sincerely starting to wish that she _hadn’t._

“Quiznak, quiznak, _quiznak-_ “ It was like a meditative chant. “Just a moment!” she sang a moment later, as sweetly as she could.

She forewent the traditional Galra dress entirely, ignoring Dayak’s chastising that echoed in her head and pulling on the more simple morning dress she had planned on wearing to breakfast the next morning. It would do. It had to. Her hair, on the other hand, would just have to wait.

Lotor had barely managed to pull on his boots when she opened the door. “P-president Braug.”

_Stars, why couldn’t it just be the messenger?_

If he had had brows, Allura would have expected to see them arch. “Your majesties,” he said with a bow. “My apologies for interrupting you, but-“

Allura held up a hand, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the way her legs wobbled. “Please…the apologies should be coming from us, sir. I cannot emphasize enough how sorry we are for making you wait. The fault is ours, and ours alone, I assure you.”

Braug studied her, glancing at Lotor as he cleared his throat by her side. She saw the president’s eyes wander, slowly, discretely, to the platter of pastries on the table, and suddenly he broke into a wide grin. “You sampled the amorafruit tarts, I see!”

For the life of her, Allura didn’t know why the blush that spread across her cheeks felt so all-consuming, but it almost knocked her off her feet. “I-“

“No, no, there’s no need to explain. No need to apologize! Perhaps I should have warned you of their potency, yes?” His eyes gleamed. “The amorafruit has been the pride and joy of Kworl for centuries! This sector’s most powerful aphrodisiac!”

Allura swore she heard Lotor choke.

Stars, the look on Braug’s face…he _knew._ And he was _beaming._

“I-I…” she stammered. “I…suppose we simply…lost track of time. It certainly won’t happen again. You have my word.”

Void take her now. Swallow her up and let her dissolve into atoms in the vacuum of deep space.

Braug leaned back and let out a deep and roaring laughing. “Nonsense! You should enjoy every pleasure that Kworl has to offer!” He was already backing down the hallway with a deep bow. “We’ll reschedule the meeting with my council for the morning. It’s no trouble – no trouble at all.”

“You really don’t need to-“

“No trouble, no trouble!” he kept saying as he backed away. “Sleep well, your majesties!”

They watched him go, and Allura was so numb that Lotor had to close the door for her. He gently pulled the hair from the back of her neck, his claws just barely grazing her skin as she hid her face in her hands.

Some diplomats they were.


	2. Frakas

All things considered, the rest of their stay on Kworl went almost perfectly. 

Meer greeted them at the door of their chambers the next morning with an updated itinerary, and Allura pointedly avoided thinking about just how _widely_ their guide smiled the entire way to breakfast. Luckily, they didn’t have much time to dwell on anything other than the task at hand. They spoke with the council, heard the peoples’ concerns – Lotor thoroughly reassured them that he would personally ensure that nobody from Frakas would come anywhere close to draining their oceans – and spent vargas wandering the streets of the city with a small army of guards in tow.

Allura steered clear of anything that even _smelled_ the slightest bit like amorafruit, as did Lotor. They slept on opposite sides of the bed every night from that evening on.

She was tired down to her bones by the time they made it back to the castle, and she pointedly tried to forget about the fact that they only had a single quintant to debrief and rest before they were due to head to Frakas.

“Oh my god,” Hunk groaned as he leaned back in his seat. “Oh my god, Frakas was so unbelievably hot…”

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Keith mused.

“Yeah, well maybe Galra are just really good at handling heat.”

“I assure you, we’re not,” Lotor said. She had the feeling he wasn’t looking forward to Frakas’ relatively scorching temperatures either after the pleasantly temperate stay on Kworl. It seemed there was a reason the Galra ships were always a bit on the chilly side.

“Heat aside,” Shiro added, “I’d say our trip there went pretty smoothly. The Frakians seem really open to a union with Kworl. Even if they are worried about the Kworlites…what was it again?”

“Leveling their mountains,” Pidge helpfully replied.

“Right. That. But otherwise, they’re pretty receptive.”

“I’m sure having Voltron there was a big help,” Allura sighed. “The people of Kworl are eager to meet all of you, and President Braug’s council seemed more than ready to move forward with the treaty. I have to say I’m feeling cautiously optimistic that this may work despite a few…” She hoped her blush wasn’t as obvious as it felt. “…very minor setbacks.”

Lance frowned. “How minor is _minor?_ ”

“I’m not even sure I would call it a setback,” Lotor said. And if Braug’s _eerily_ wide grin that had fixed itself on his face for their entire stay was any indication, she thought he might be right. He sighed. “Just…be careful about sampling any pastries on Kworl. And steer clear of anything containing amorafruit.”

“Amorafruit, eh?” Coran mused. “Say, isn’t that the-“

“ _Yes,_ ” Lotor forced out.

Well Allura was sure her blush was painfully obvious _now._

“We should get some rest,” she told them. “We have an early day tomorrow to set out for the second stretch of this mission, and we should be ready to face it head on.”

Lance stretched his arms out with a wide grin and a wider yawn. “Tropical space getaway, here we come!”

* * *

Hunk was right.

Frakas was _hot._ Stiflingly so. It was the kind of heat that stuck to Allura’s skin and made her feel like she was dragging twice her own weight with every step. The second they climbed off the shuttle, she stifled a groan and felt Lotor sway next to her.

She had to give the planet credit though – it was every bit as beautiful as Kworl, though in a much different way. Sprawling golden mountains stretched out as far as Kworl’s oceans, wrapped in a distant haze. The docking station was nestled in a deep valley, and beyond the industrial silhouette of the landing beacon towers surrounding them, jagged cliff faces rose up in every direction.

Gorgeous, but _blazing._

At the very least, the temperature dropped what felt like exponentially when they made it underground, and she could practically _feel_ Lotor let out a sigh of relief. By the time they made it to the center of the underground capital city of Frakas, their sweat had cool and Preen had said all of three words to them.

Not that Allura minded. After all of Braug’s grinning and…nudging, polite as it had been, silence was a welcome reprieve.

The days passed in a blur, much as they had on Kworl. They spent their time meeting with the diplomats, engaging in _exceedingly_ thoroughly treaty discussions with Chancellor Preen – it was the most Allura heard her speak during their entire stay – and promising the citizens that the Kworlites would most _certainly_ not be leveling any mountains.

And also like Kworl, she and Lotor didn’t touch each other. Without any amorafruit tarts to get in the way, they had _some_ self-control.

The final evening of their stay they were due in the expansive ballroom. It was carved out of solid ivory stone, light by lanterns embedded in the rock. Preen had a veritable army of diplomats, all of them milling about and muttering amongst themselves.

And Preen…kept _looking_ at them.

She had a moment to take a breath after fielding question after question. Lotor was wrapped up talking to a crowd of five – no, it had turned into six while her back was turn – of the diplomats, all eagerly hanging on his every word. And she shot him a smile as she made her way across the room to the chancellor.

“Chancellor Preen,” she greeted with the sweetest smile she could muster.

The chancellor bowed deeply enough that her dark mane of hair nearly brushed her knees. “Empress Allura,” she said. “I do hope you’ve found Frakas agreeable…and the heat not too stifling.”

“Not stifling at all. And the accommodations you’ve provided are absolutely lovely…bedchambers hewn straight into the mountainside…It’s genius, truly.”

Preen allowed a small smile to slip onto her face. “We pride ourselves here on Frakas on thriving in whatever conditions we find. Whether it’s alongside the bountiful underground springs or braving the punishing sun out on the mountaintops.” She took a cup from a passing tray and offered it to Allura. “That and our ralvee. The strongest brew on Frakas.”

Allura studied it and took the cup from her. “Ralvee…”

“I will warn you, it’s a bit of an…acquired taste. I promise I won’t be offended if it isn’t to you liking.”

“Oh no, I’m sure it’s perfectly-“ She took a sip and nearly choked. It was warm, fizzy, and unquestionably the most _bitter_ thing to ever hit her tongue. She forced herself to swallow. “It’s…wonderful.”

Preen surprised her by letting out a laugh. “As I said, an acquired taste. Not like the amorafruit tarts you may find on Kworl…”

She smirked over the edge of her cup, and Allura choked for _another_ reason.

“A…amorafruit…”

“We have made progress improving the relationship between Frakas and Kworl over the last several phoebs. And since you and Emperor Lotor’s blessed union, we’ve known in our hearts that this was the next step.”

“Ah…”

Preen was _beaming_ at her, much like Braug had when he had caught her and Lotor that evening…

She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “It would be an honor – a great honor – to know that you and the Emperor find Frakas every bit as _comfortable_ as Kworl.”

Allura coughed out a bit of ralvee that had been caught in her throat. “O-of course. If you’ll…if you’ll just excuse me-“

She turned, frantically searching for Lotor in the crowd and finding him just as he extricated himself from the crowd of diplomats that seemed to have grown to at least ten in number.

“Lotor,” she whispered. She leaned in close, until her lips were almost pressed against his shoulder. Intrusive as it might have seemed, she didn’t dare raise her voice any louder. Ancients help her if anyone overheard… “We may have a problem.”

His blinked, his own voice blessedly quet as he replied, “Oh?”

Allura’s eyes darted between him and the guests. Chancellor Preen was engrossed in an energetic conversation with a large group across the room – about what, Allura didn’t want to know – and the rest of the negotiation party appeared to be busy enjoying their horrendously bitter drinks. She bit her lip. “It seems that news of our…intimate encounter on Kworl has made it back to Frakas.” Lotor’s eyebrows arched, almost imperceptibly. She thought she saw a hint of violet spreading across the bridge of his nose.

“Oh,” he said.

“I’ve heard murmurs that the people of Frakas are worried that their accommodations haven’t been as…enticing as the ones we found on Kworl.”

Lotor gave a solemn nod. “I see.”

“At the very least we’ve managed not to insult anyone just yet, but-“

“But the risk of showing favoritism toward one planet or the other is enough to cause concern,” he finished.

Allura sighed. “Exactly.”

“And we haven’t…” He cleared his throat. “…taken advantage of their hospitality quiet as _thoroughly_ as we did on Kworl, I suppose.”

“I thought that would be the safest course of action, given the circumstances,” she said. She caught Chancellor Preen grinning at her from across the room and offered her a forced smile. “Now, though…I’m not so sure.”

“And just what do you thik is the safest option now that the tide of this metaphorical battle has turned?” Lotor asked her. She watched him take a long sip of his drink and grimace.

Stars help her, she could drain an entire mug of that wretched stuff if it would quell the anxiety twisting in her stomach.

“I don’t _know,_ ” she groaned. ‘Well, I have one idea-“

“Do you?”

“-but it’s not a good one. It’s bad actually. Ludicrous _._ ”

“Maybe it’s worth hearing anyway,” Lotor said. There was a playful edge to his voice that made her think he already knew where she was heading with this. He just wanted to hear her say it.

Ass.

She huffed and made a big show of inspecting the refreshment table, hoping that maybe she could blame the flush in her cheeks on the steaming vegetables laid out on the platters. “We’re scheduled to leave in two vargas.”

“We are.”

“Before sunset. All of our things have already been packed up and moved out of our chambers.”

“Indeed.”

“We won’t have a chance to…to _consummate_ our trip to Frakas, as it were.”

“Unfortunate.”

“Unless…” He stared at her. “Well…I told you, it’s _ludicrous._ ”

Lotor’s smirk was unmistakable as he leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath on the shell of her ear. “You noticed the empty meeting room on our way in too, didn’t you?”

She hoped the shiver that rushed down her spine wasn’t obvious to anyone but the two of them.

“So what if I did?” she snapped. “It doesn’t mean we can – I mean it’s insane!”

“It seems like a perfectly reasonable solution to our current plight if you ask me,” he told her sagely. “The people of Frakas might even consider it a compliment.”

“And if they don’t? What happens then?”

“Then I suppose the mission we’ve worked so hard to achieve for nearly a phoebe will be a complete and utter failure.”

Helpful.

He let a hand rest on the small of her back, a comforting gesture rather than a salacious one. “Allura, you know as well as I do that it all comes down to weighing the possible outcomes.” He set the cup down on the table and raised one long finger. “One the one hand, we risk making the people of Frakas feel as if we favor Kworl because we were comfortable enough to fall into bed together within one varga of arriving-“

“It was the _pastries,_ ” Allura insisted, pouting.

“On the other hand-“ He extended another finger. “We risk offending our current hosts with a scandal, but there’s also a good chance that the chancellor will consider it a boon to their reputation as hosts.”

His teeth flashed in the light.

She stared at him, then at Chancellor Preen, and at Lotor’s cup on the table. She thought of the wide, exuberant grin that had spread across the Braug’s face when she had emerged from their chambers on Kworl, half dressed and disheveled.

She reached out and grabbed the half-full cup of ralvee, drained it in one go, and then grabbed Lotor’s hand to drag him toward the meeting room.

The windowless meeting hall couldn’t hold a candle to their bedchambers overlooking the mountains, or the view of the vast oceans back on Kworl. And the stiff polished table was a poor substitute for a soft bed. But Lotor had already hiked up her dress and pulled aside her undergarments and – _oh stars,_ his lips on her neck felt exquisite.

She was having a hard time caring about the edge of the table digging into her thighs. A very hard time indeed.

“This is so-“ She muffled a moan against the skin of his shoulder as his hips rocked against hers. “Ah…vulgar.’

“We do what we must in the name of-“ He grasped the back of her thigh, claws ghosting over her skin as he lifted it around his waist. “-diplomacy.”

Diplomacy. From how hard he had been when she’d tugged him out of his pants, it seemed Lotor had quite the knack for _diplomacy._

“It’s so obscene,” she insisted, her breath shaking as Lotor shifted his angle _just so_ and – stars, she was starting to really love diplomacy too.

Somewhere in the midst of choking back a groan, Lotor chuckled. “Would you prefer that I stop?”

“ _Quiznak,_ no.” She gripped his shoulders. His pace was relentless. Her toes curled so hard that one of her shoes clattered to the tiled floor. “It’s just – just so unbecome…unbe… _coming…_ ”

They rejoined the festivities fifteen dobashes later, their hair disheveled beyiond repair and their clothes hopelessly wrinkled. Lotor folded his collar up over his neck to hide the marks dotting his skin. “Well,” he sighed, swaying a bit on his feet before grasping the bannister for support. “I think that went well.”

“Mhm,” Allura hummed as she fought with one strand of hair that refused to stay tucked under her clip.

“Your majesties!”

She spun on her heel, very nearly toppling over and taking Lotor with her as she shot Chancellor Preen a wide flashy smile. “Chancellor!” she said too loudly through gritted teeth, “I was just – ah – we were-“

“My wife was just showing me the breathtaking view from the upstairs balcony,” Lotor said, his tone perfectly measured as his arm smoothly wrapped around Allura’s hip and pulled her close. “Truly stunning. It will be a shame to leave when the accommodations have been so very generous.”

“You flatter me, Emperor Lotor,” Preen said with a small bow. “Honestly, it was the very least we could do to-“

She trailed off, her eyes focused on Lotor’s neck. Allura glanced back at her husband just in time to watch him reach up and tug at his collar and tilt his chin back. It only took a moment – it was a natural movement, innocent. More than enough to give Preen a glimpse of the deep violet, _unmistakable_ marks that Allura had just finished sucking into his neck not twenty dobashes before.

“Forgive me,” he breathed with an easy, placating smile. “Just a bit warm. I’m sure it’s just me.”

Oh, you _clever-_

“No matter!” Preen insisted, and now her voice was loud enough to make Allura flinch, her smile wide and uncontrollable. Stars, she was like an entirely different person than the one they had met on the first day of their stay on Frakas. “Oh, please don’t let me keep you! Feel free to wander the grounds as you please! For as long as you like! We’re delighted and humbled to know that the Emperor and Empress find our meager accommodations so…enjoyable!”

She didn't know if Frakians winked, but Allura swore she saw Preen do so then. Maybe it was a trick of the light. Either way she almost choked on her own tongue.

Preen bowed deeply, backing away down the hall. “I’ll leave you to your wanderings, your majesties. Please don’t let me stop you!”

And then she was gone. As was Allura’s afterglow.

She looked up at Lotor and shoved him. “You are incorrigible.”

“Take a moment to be proud of yourself, my queen,” he told her with a light peck at the corner of her mouth. “Your plan was a complete success.”

* * *

If she could even manage to call that a _success,_ she didn’t have the time or energy to revel in it. They left Frakas as scheduled, when the celebration ended two vargas later, she allowed herself a good night’s sleep and a hot breakfast before diving into the debriefing with the paladins.

It took nearly another phoeb before the treaty was finally drafted, and another two movements after that before it was finally signed. But it was, and Allura couldn’t help but feel pride swelling in her chest as she stood on the command deck of the castle and watched Frakas and Kworl light up green on the star map.

She turned around to face the others, met with cheers and hollering from both the paladins and Coran, as well as the people of Frakas and Kworl where they had been patched in via tele-link. She smiled. “It’s an honor be standing here witnessing the first union between Kworl and Frakas in five hundred deca-phoebs,” she said. “Chancellor Preen, President Braug, welcome to the Alliance.”

“It’s an honor to be a part of this myself,” Braug chimed with a wide grin. “The great planet of Kworl is overjoyed to be a part of this unprecedented union!”

“As are the people of Frakas,” Preen added, bowing. “Empress Allura, paladins of Voltron, you have our gratitude.”

“You have _ours,_ ” Allura said. “Both of your planets are certainly something to behold, and to have the chance to see them both was truly-“

She stopped, and blinked. The silence was deafening.

“Ah…it was truly…erm…”

Her head swam. Her stomach lurched. Oh…oh no…

“Allura?” That was Coran’s voice, so it was probably his hand on her shoulder too. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yes…excuse me, I-“ Her throat burned. Oh _stars,_ no.

She pushed off Coran’s hand and sprinted out of the room, one palm pressed desperately against her mouth and the other wrapped around her stomach. Someone gasped, others muttered, but she didn’t pay it any attention.

She made it two steps outside the command deck to a waste receptacle before leaning over it and losing her lunch, quickly followed by breakfast.

“Empress…” There was a hand rubbing her back – a metal one – and another pulling back her hair. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out but – well, she assumed the only thing left had to be dinner from the night before. Shiro winced. “Uh…it’s okay…get it all out, I guess.”

That wasn’t a problem.

She slumped against him when her stomach had been thoroughly emptied and groaned. “Please tell me Braug and Preen didn’t just see that…”

“Ah, they didn’t,” Shiro told her. “Coran’s handling them now. It’s okay – they’re still just as excited as ever to be part of the Alliance.” She glanced up at him and got a glimpse of his small, sympathetic smile. “I guess the stress of it all just got to you huh?”

She nodded. “I suppose.” Yes, that must be it. Stress. Or that questionable fruit from breakfast. She fought back another gag. “I should probably go lie down before I make even more of a fool of myself.”

“You’re not a fool,” Shiro assured her. “But yeah, lying down is probably a good idea. C’mon, I’ll help you to your room.”

Allura sighed and let him lead. “Remind me to hug you after I’ve brushed my teeth.”

He let out a laugh.

Coran was by her bedside less than two dobashes after signing off with Braug and Preen, just like she’d known he would be, and he staunchly refused to tell her a single thing about how the rest of the meeting had gone. “Now I don’t want you worrying a single hair on your head at Frakas or Kworl or anyone else, missy. Not until you’ve had a nice cup of renflower tea to settle the stomach and a good long nap.”

She could hardly turn either of those things down. She didn’t even try.

Choking down the tea was surprisingly easy – no harder than it usually was, considering how much she despised the taste – and it lulled her right to sleep. And asleep she stayed until she was awoken by a soft beeping from her bedside monitor. Yawning, she opened one eye to dismiss whatever alert it was-

And froze.

It was her cycle alert. She’d forgotten all about it. With how busy they’d been with the treaty and the debriefings, she hadn’t even thought to check. But according to the readout, she was overdue. By about a phoeb.

She shot up in bed, all thoughts of sleeping another fifteen dobashes completely gone. A phoeb – she was overdue by an entire _phoeb_ and she hadn’t even noticed.

She swallowed.

“Oh… _fuck._ ”


	3. Takkel Masi

Allura had been standing in the same spot in the medical bay for almost thirty dobashes – and crying off and on for almost twenty of those – when the doors opened behind her. She didn’t even bother to hide the screen or turn to face the sound. She couldn’t manage to tear her eyes away.

“Allura?” That voice made her breath hitch. Oh gods, she hadn’t even thought about it – how she was going to tell him. They hadn’t discussed this, at least not in any serious terms. They hadn’t prepared. The dust was still settling for the universe and them after their wedding, so how could she possibly be sure they were _ready?_

Lotor stopped behind her, his voice almost hesitant: “Coran told me you were under the weather…are you alright?” A hand pressed against her hip, light and gentle.

Was she alright? What kind of question was that?

A normal one, she inwardly insisted.

Despite his height and his closeness, he hadn’t seen the results yet. He didn’t know. Ancients help her, she still had to _tell him._

When she turned, he saw her tears first and her smile second. He balked. “Allura-“

“I’m alright,” she said. It was almost second-nature. What surprised her was how…true it really was. She let out a breath and wiped her eyes with a shaky laugh. “Stars, I…really, I’m alright. It’s just…well, I…I have something I need to tell you. Show you?” When she laughed again, it sounded almost hysterical. “Oh, I have no idea how – it’s all just so –“

Lotor’s brows pinched – confusion, concern, alarm all washed over his face as he reached for her hands and squeezed them tightly. “What’s the matter? Coran said you fell ill, that you were bed-bound-“

“Well, he may have embellished it a bit. I just had a nap. But then I came here. I had to come here…”

She felt drunk. The words were coming out all right, clumsy and misshapen. She shook her head.

“I ran a scan,” she said, softly. Carefully. Like it was significant. And it wasn’t – not to him, not the same way it was to her. So she continued, pulling the screen around so that he could see as she did: “I already figured…but I had to know for sure…” She extended her fingers against the screen, zooming in the view until it was obvious what they were looking at.

She could practically _feel_ the moment Lotor realized. The air in the room shifted, like everything was suddenly one degree warmer. His voice was rough: “That’s…”

“An embryo,” she said, and gods help her, she couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face any more than she could stop the tears streaking down her cheeks. “And that –“ She gently ran her fingers along the screen, shifting the view. “…is the other one.”

The look on Lotor’s face was one that Allura had never seen before in her life. Not on anyone. She wondered if there was even a word to describe it. Shock, disbelief, joy, fear, uncertainty, excitement…none of them captured it, not even all of them at once. She watched him reach out and press his fingertips to the screen – no, not quite touching it, just hovering a hair’s breadth away. “ _Oh,_ ” he breathed, a realization mixed with a prayer.

Slowly, he smiled. The same way he had when they had first laid eyes on Oriande.

Allura swallowed, her mouth so dry she could barely speak. But she tried anyway. “Is that…is it alright?” It didn’t feel like the right words. It was a strange question to ask at best.

Lotor _looked_ at her, and for half a tick he looked almost…forlorn. “Alright…” he replied. His voice was shaky. It wasn’t like him at all. “Allura, do you not realize…do you truly not see that you’ve – that we’ve done the impossible?”

She blinked. “Im…possible?”

“I never-“ Her hands were folded in his a second later. “I never thought I could…I was always told I was…that I couldn’t…”

“ _Oh,_ ” she said, almost a perfect mimic of his exclamation from moments before. Oh, how could she not see it – the uncharacteristic hesitation in his voice when someone brought up the possibility of an heir, the look in his eye when Hunk and Pidge had joked following their wedding about “the pitter-patter of little Galtean feet,” the way he smoothly changed the subject the one time Allura had ever asked him if in all his ten thousand years of life he’d ever thought of wanting children…

She’d thought he was anxious, as unlike him that would be, but no, he’d been certain that he was bound to _disappoint._

Before she could dwell on it – which was probably for the best – Lotor dropped to his knees.

“Lotor – what-“ Her hands fumbled with the edge of the examination table. “What are you, oh, what are-“

He pressed his lips to her stomach, and she forgot how to draw another breath.

“Hello little ones,” he whispered, so softly that the words sounded _fragile._ His hands were warm and firm against the small of her back, and under the fringe of his bangs Allura could make out the edge of a smile. Deep violet bloomed across the points of his ears. “Welcome to this newly reborn universe of ours…”

* * *

There were still preparations to be looked after before the official announcement was made, and they involved several _unofficial_ announcements.

Coran sobbed until he was red in the face and hiccupping against Lotor’s chest, his mustache frizzy and damp. Lotor didn’t seem to mind, luckily – but of course the tiny smile that had plastered itself on his face hadn’t moved since she’d told him the news. She doubted much of anything could rattle him in this state.

Next, of course, were the paladins, and in hindsight she wondered if she should have told them one at a time. Hunk cried almost as much as Coran had. Shiro was a close second behind him (which caught her almost as offguard as the strength of the hug he gave her once he’d wiped his eyes). Pidge’s eyes were gleaming as she speculated about second-generation Galtean genetics, Lance was smiling at the news too, holding out his fist until Lotor – a little hesitantly and with after a good amount of insistent pantomiming on Lance’s part – bumped his knuckles against it.

Keith was quiet, looking thoughtful before he said, “I guess this means they’ll be Takkel Mul, right?” Lotor’s ears perked up. “No wait…Takkel Mar? Is it a boy or a girl? I guess you wouldn’t know yet…”

“Takkel wha?” Lance asked.

“It’s the Galra word for the children of a Blood Emperor,” Lotor said, bemused. “Before they’re old enough to claim their title of prince or princess. How did you know that?”

Keith flushed and shrugged. “Kolivan was explaining it to me.”

A beat later, Lotor smiled. “Quite impressive,” he mused. “And you’re right – they would be. But actually the term in this case would be the plural, Takkel Masi…”

“It’s actually twins,” Allura blurted, like she just couldn’t keep the news inside. It burst out of her before she could stop it, and she grinned behind her palm.

The response was unanimous and deafening: “ _Twins?_ ”

Announcing the news to the Blade of Marmora was considerably quieter. They did so at Lotor’s insistence, and Allura couldn’t find a single fault in his reasoning. After all, as much as she didn’t want to consider it, the formal announcement to the entire Coalition and Galra Empire would be risky in some respects.

And the Blade was the biggest asset to their safety.

That, and Allura couldn’t help but admit that these announcements were…fun.

Not that she was focused on that part.

Kolivan listened with a quiet and contemplative furrow in his brow, but Krolia beamed enough for the both of them. “A _baby,_ ” she breathed. “That’s _phenomenal!_ Just how long have you known?”

Allura couldn’t help but cover her stomach with one hesitant hand, not even realizing she was doing it until her palm was pressed against her dress. “Only a few quintants…”

“And it’s two, actually,” Lotor added. Seemed she wasn’t the only one who got a little thrill out of dropping that information.

That made Kolivan’s brows arch, and Krolia looked absolutely elated. “Twins?” She laughed. “Two pups and a newly formed alliance to look after…you two will have your hands full.”

“Yes, well…it wasn’t wholly…expected,” Allura admitted.

“Things like this rarely are,” Kolivan offered.

Krolia bowed her head. “If you need anything, I’d be more than happy to personally lend a hand.” She quirked another smile, but this one was different – more subtle, almost playful. “I’m sure Kolivan would to.”

Kolivan closed his eyes and cleared his throat.

“I hope you’ll understand we’ll need to discuss some changes to the royal security detail following the official announcement,” Lotor added.

Kolivan nodded. “Of course. You’ll have the Blade at your back, Emperor. And you as well, Empress.” A tick later, so quickly Allura almost missed it, he flashed a smile. “And the little Takkel Masi.”

* * *

The response from the Coalition and the Galra Empire was both exactly what they expected and completely overwhelming.

Within quintants – vargas, even – of sending out the message, they received well-wishes from seventy-one different planets and gifts from another sixteen. More were coming every quintant: a lush potted sapling from the Olkari, tiny tiaras embellished with shining Balmeran crystals, and baby clothing that was for the most part either much too large or had too many sleeves attached (but the thought was the important thing).

Several movements later, she was working on fitting herself into another traditional Galra dress, but this time Dayak was being considerably more gentle.

“You look radiant,” she told Allura as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. Her voice was strangely gentle – well, gentle for _her_ at least. “The dress is perfect. I never thought I would live to see the presentation of another Kra Zel Tir.”

Allura turned to glance at her. “I keep hearing that term…what does it mean?”

“The literal translation is ‘fertile empress,’ but even I find that a bit archaic,” Dayak huffed, and Allura let out a breath of a laugh as she caught the woman’s eye in the mirror. Dayak’s hand rested on her shoulder. “Kra Zel Tir is the most honorable title a member of the royal bloodline can ever hope to achieve…the bearer of future generations.”

Dayak’s smile was…warm. Allura was almost certain she’d imagined it, but no matter how many times she blinked it didn’t disappear.

“I’m honored to be a part of this chapter of your life, Empress Allura. You and Emperor Lotor.”

“Oh…Dayak, I…”

The moment ended with a knock on the door, and Dayak huffed. “Honestly…interrupting the Empress in her chambers when she’s preparing for an evening amongst her subjects. How rude.”

“Dayak, I can hear you,” Lotor called.

“I presumed so!”

“May I?”

“Come in,” Allura laughed.

He opened the door, and she saw the very moment he laid eyes on her, lips pulling back over his teeth. He let out a quiet breath, and Allura’s face flushed all the way to the tips of her ears.

Even married and pregnant with his _children,_ he still had that effect on her…

“Forgive the interruption,” he told her with a slight bow of his head, but his smile never wavered. It didn’t make him look very apologetic, but then again he didn’t have anything to be sorry for. “You look dazzling, my queen. If I may say, I think this dress suits you perfectly.”

It was certainly more comfortable – the ribbon tied loosely around her waist was far less stifling than the _straps_ she’d experienced before. The fabric breathed beautifully, swishing around her calves – to reduce the risk of _tripping,_ apparently, which was one of the most thoughtful example of Galra practicality that Allura had ever seen – and draping loosely over her chest.

There were others too. Dayak had showed her. All different cuts and sizes and colors meant to grow through all of the stages of her pregnancy. It had been like glimpsing the future, and it made Allura’s heart flutter.

Lotor’s gaze darted down to the bright red ribbon around her abdomen, just for a moment, before meeting her eyes again. “The guests are beginning to arrive. They are…quite eager, it seems.”

“I would expect so,” Dayak insisted. “It is extraordinary news, the Blood Empress being with child. The entire Galra Empire is thrilled knowing that your seed has finally quickened in her womb, ushering in a new era of the Kra Zel Tir.”

“Yes,” Lotor rasped, his voice a bit strangled. “Thank you, Dayak.”

“Of course.” She nodded sagely. “It’s the least I can do. Besides that, I’ve already made preparations to brew a hearty pot of rekvak for the Empress. Two cups a day will see you through your pregnancy nicely.”

“R…rekvak?” Allura asked. She didn’t quite like the way it sounded, but she rarely liked the way any Galra dish sounded.

“It’s a tea,” Lotor provided. “Traditionally brewed in large batches when the pregnancy is first discovered and fermented over the course of it until the pup is born.”

Allura tried to hide the way her nose wrinkled.

“The longer the rekvak matures, the more beneficial it is to the mother. It’s a brew that ripens along with the pregnancy itself.” Dayak looked endlessly pleased for herself. “I’ll be sure to brew twice as much as the usual, for the twins of course.”

“Of course…” Allura sighed.

Beside her, Lotor chuckled. He offered his hand. “If you’re ready…my Kra Zel Tir.”

Allura shuddered and fit her palm against his.

He’d been right – their guests were _eager,_ and numbered almost too many to count. Every one of them seemed desperate to offer their congratulations in person. More than Allura had expected begged her to let them touch her stomach. One even wanted to kiss it.

Luckily, she didn’t need to deny them that herself. Lotor took care of it for her. Thank the ancients.

Coran and Dayak were always in view, hovering nearby with their eyes always on her. It was comforting, in a way – as were Kolivan and his compatriots posted discreetly by the doors – but they weren’t overbearing. Well…Coran was not the best at being subtle, but she couldn’t hold that against him.

“Is he trying to make it look like he’s studying the sconces?” Lotor mused quietly.

“Trying,” Allura told him. “Valiantly. Just pretend you don’t notice him watching.”

She shot Coran a smile and watched as his gaze darted away, back toward the same sconce he’d been staring at for the last five dobashes. Allura giggled.

“I much prefer his vigilance to any more of Dayak’s discussion of your _seed._ ”

Lotor choked on his drink mid-sip, and Allura let out a less-than-dignified snort.

He turned away to pound a fist against his chest, muffling a cough. As he did, Allura turned and caught a familiar set of eyes-

“Empress Allura!” Braug said, beaming as he rushed toward her as quickly as his short legs could carry him. Striding up not far behind him was Preen, smiling quietly as she approached.

Allura returned the smile, hands folded neatly in front of the ribbon around her dress. “President Braug, Chancellor Preen…It’s so wonderful to see you made it.”

“We would never have missed it,” Preen said with a small bow. “It was a great honor to be invited to the presentation of…ah…forgive me if I mispronounce the term…Kra Zel…”

“Kra Zel Tir,” Allura provided. “But please, the title is unnecessary.”

“And it truly is twins?” Braug asked, leaning closer.

“It is.” She rested her palm above the ribbon. “It was a surprise, but a pleasant one.”

Braug leaned back and guffawed. “Surprise indeed! We were thrilled to hear the news.”

“We were on Frakas as well,” Preen added. “Empress…if I may be so bold…I was hoping to ask if you and Emperor Lotor had given any thought to where you would be giving birth?”

Lotor was back at her side that instant as Allura opened her mouth to reply and found no words. “Ah…I…”

“The only reason I ask,” Preen quickly said, “Well, I wanted to extend an invitation to do so on Frakas when the time comes. There’s a healing spring deep beneath an active volcano not far from the capital where many Frakian mothers choose to bring their younglings into the world, and it has produced only the strongest offspring.”

“That’s…quite generous,” Allura offered helplessly.

Braug practically threw himself in front of Preen to add, “The little ones’ due date falls directly in the middle of the calmest season on Kworl! You would honor us greatly if you chose to give birth on the beaches of our noble planet.”

Allura swallowed. Oh dear…

She felt Lotor squeeze her elbow.

“President Braug,” he said in a perfectly measured tone, “Chancellor Preen, your offers are quite generous, but we haven’t yet…made any plans.”

“That’s precisely why I thought it prudent to offer,” Preen told him calmly. “After all, it may be a somewhat poetic way of bringing things…full circle, as it were.”

“Ah…if I may ask, what is it you mean?”

“If you wish to bring things _full-circle,_ I would think your majesties would want to have the children on Kworl,” Braug interjected. “After all, they were conceived during your stay with us…”

Allura was almost certain her face matched the color of the ribbon around her waist. “I…I beg your pardon.”

Preen huffed. “President Braug…you must be mistaken. The children were conceived on _Frakas._ ”

This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

“President, Chancellor-“ Lotor’s tone was clipped and low, but Preen and Braug didn’t even seem to hear him. They were glaring at each other, Preen practically bent in half and Braug craning his neck to meet her gaze.

“It’s you who’s mistaken, _Chancellor_ ,” Braug asserted. “With all due respect, no amount of ralvee can outdo the effects of Kworl’s famous amorafruit tarts-“

Allura buried her face in the palm of her hand. She couldn’t watch this – she couldn’t watch all of their hard work to put together this treaty unravel in one fight over _where they had conceived their children-_

“ _What_ is going on here?”

Oh, that voice was familiar, as was the sound of the riding crop slapping the wall and making Preen and Braug freeze mid-feud.

“Empress, are these two causing you undue stress?” Dayak asked her, her nose turned up to the ceiling. She seemed to tower over them – over Braug at least – and narrowed her eyes. “If so, I would happily have them extricated from this hallowed event.”

Allura finally found her voice again: “No!” All eyes turned to her. “No…Dayak, there’s no need. The president and the chancellor were just making a very…very generous offer. And we greatly appreciate it.” She turned to smile at them. “Really, we do.”

“Indeed,” Lotor said. “But it’s more than likely that the pups will be born on the Castle of Lions.”

She caught his eye, her own widening. They hadn’t spoken about it, and truthfully the thought had been causing Allura more anxiety than she wanted to admit. But the Castle of Lions…as close to a home as she had…she couldn’t think of a better place to bring their children into the world.

She smiled. “Yes…” She turned to Preen and Braug again. “The Castle of Lions…I’m sure you understand, it’s as close to Altea as we can make it. And the babies…” She pressed both hands over her stomach, her voice coming out almost too quiet to hear. “…I want more than anything for them to have that connection to their heritage.”

Dayak slowly lowered her riding crop and let her gaze soften as Lotor pulled Allura closer. Braug and Preen shrunk back, looking sheepish. “O-of course,” Braug said. “Forgive me, Empress. Emperor.”

“I as well,” Preen added.

“The point is likely moot regardless,” Dayak huffed. “Though the seed may have been planted-“ Allura felt Lotor grimace at the same time that she did. “-on one planet on another, it’s entirely probable that it did not take root for some time later. There’s simply no way of knowing whether the children were conceived on one planet or another, or in entirely neutral space for that matter. No matter what…activities anyone may have gotten up to during any _diplomacy missions._ ”

She gazed down her nose at Lotor, who seemed to have forgotten how to breathe and was pinching the bridge of his nose hard enough that his claws left marks.

“An…excellent point,” Allura mustered.

“In any case,” Dayak continued as Allura sincerely wished she _wouldn’t,_ “Empress Allura, if you will come with me I will brew you a nice warm cup of rekvak to soothe your nerves. Stress is not good for the pups.”

Well, at least their treaty was safe. For now at least.

* * *

The twins were born eight phoebs later, in Allura’s own bedroom on the Castle of Lions, and they were _beautiful._

No, beautiful wasn’t enough. They were perfect. Flawless. Allura couldn’t look away from their faces, from the wispy white hair covering their heads, from the tiny lavender marks accenting the apples of their cheeks.

“They’re small for being part Galra,” Lotor mused.

“They’re _large_ for being Altean,” Allura pointed out with a sigh. “Trust me.”

He laughed, a soft and gentle sound – almost a purr. “Fair enough.” He grazed one knuckle across their daughter’s cheek, so softly it made her want to cry. “This one is the spitting image of you,” he whispered. “It’s almost eerie…”

“She has your ears. Both of them do.”

His hand darted up to brush the tips of his ears. They twitched under the pad of his thumb. “Do they?”

The knock on the door was almost inaudible, just barely enough to draw their attention. Coran stuck his head in a moment later. He was beaming, just as he had been for the last solid two vargas since the first baby’s cries had drowned out Allura’s. “You two look like you’re settling in nicely,” he told them, his eyes sparkling. He tip-toed carefully up to the bed, clasping his fingers above his heart as he looked down at the bundles tucked up against Allura’s chest. “Ah, the little ones are already setting a good example – getting plenty of rest from their ordeal.”

Allura breathed out a sigh. “I’d very much like to follow that example…but I can’t seem to look away from them for more than a moment…”

“Well, you should be resting. Both of you. But ah…well, the paladins are quite eager to meet the little Takkel Mul and Takkel Mar.” He knelt down, nudging one careful finger underneath their son’s palm and grinning when the baby yawned and pawed at it.

The soft smile that graced Lotor’s face suited him. As did the warmth in his voice when he said, “Bring them in. It’s high time we introduced the little ones, don’t you think?”

He dropped a kiss to the top of Allura’s head, and her heart swelled.

The paladins clamored in (as quietly as five people brimming with excitement could do) less than a single dobash later, and Allura grinned at them. “There they are,” she said with a laugh, and she canted her head down to whisper, loudly enough for them to hear, “Meet the rest of your family. These are the paladins of Voltron. That’s Shiro-“ She nodded toward him. “And that’s Pidge. There’s Hunk, and next to him is Keith. And the one hiding in the back is Lance.”

“They’re so teeny,” Hunk breathed as he moved closer. “Oh man…look at their little hands! And those tiny ears!” He reached out toward them, then pulled his hand away again. Like he was afraid he would break them. “They even have itty bitty Altean marks!”

“Yeah, they’re babies,” Pidge told him. “Everything about them is teeny.”

Shiro smiled. “They’re beautiful.” Like Hunk, he hesitated as he reached out. “Ah…may I-“

Allura nodded, and she watched as he ran one finger along the baby girl’s arm. When he reached her wrist – her _tiny_ wrist, as Hunk so helpfully pointed out – she shifted and grasped the tip of his finger.

Shiro drew in a gasp, his eyes going wide until they melted into a soft grin and chuckled, “Oh…hi there…”

“Aww, she likes you,” Lance told him.

“You think?”

Pidge was busy staring at the other baby, looking thoughtful. “Uh Pidge,” Hunk asked, “Why are you staring at the baby? Are you getting distracted by their tiny little fingers too?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I mean, they are pretty adorable. But I was just thinking…don’t their marks look a little different from Allura’s?”

“You know, you’re kinda right,” Lance mused. “They’re more…jagged-shaped. Is that a normal baby thing?”

Allura blinked. “No, it’s-“

Before she could finish, Pidge spoke up again: “Oh now I know what they remind me of! They look just like Lotor’s…”

She trailed off, and all eyes shifted to him. Lotor looked bemused, the pads of his fingers brushing his own cheek. “I suppose…they do look somewhat similar.”

Allura felt like her chest was going to burst. Despite the bone-deep exhaustion seeping into every corner of her body and being sore in places she’d never even realized she _could_ be sore, happiness rang in her ears and warmed straight to her core.

“So what are you gonna name them?” Lance asked, and she felt like she’d been snapped out of a trance.

“Wha?”

“The babies…do they have names yet? Or are they just baby one and baby two?”

Lotor’s hand squeezed her shoulder, right in the dip where it met her neck. “We…have a name for the boy, at least,” he said. It was a gentle reminder.

Yes, of course…she hadn’t even shared that yet. She smiled. “We decided about a movement ago,” she said, catching Coran’s eye. “Hieronymus.” His eyes widened to the size of two teladuv lenses as she spoke. “After all…it seems only right that he should be named after someone who’s devoted their life to the preservation of Altea, don’t you think?”

“I-I-I-“ Coran stuttered, and then in one fell swoop he threw his arms around both her and Lotor with a heavy choking sob. “Oh Princess, I can’t believe – that’s the nicest, the most _incredible –_ I can’t even _say-_ “

Hieronymus wriggled against Allura’s arm, whimpering softly, and Coran pulled away a tick later. “Oh dear, sorry about that little one…” He grasped the baby’s hand between his thumb and forefinger, giving it a gentle shake as he wiped his eyes. “We’ll have much to talk about, you and I. I have plenty to teach you about our shared namesake. The old grandpappy was one memorable character!”

“Unfortunately…” Lotor said, “We…haven’t quite been able to come up with a name for the girl yet.”

“Oh, oh! I have an idea!” Hunk insisted, grinning widely. “What about…Cassiopeia! That sounds cool and spacey, right?”

“Cassio…peia?” Allura blinked. “What is that?”

“It’s a constellation! You know, in the…Earth…system…so…oh, maybe it’s not all that fitting for an Altean space princess.”

“You could always name her _Frakas,_ ” Pidge snorted.

Lotor groaned. “Don’t start…”

“What about Alnerva?”

Allura froze, and everyone turned to look at Keith. He’d been quiet until then – Allura had barely noticed, but now he was starting to blush under all of the sets of eyes on him. “Alnerva…” she repeated. “How did you think of that?”

Keith shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Well…your father’s name was Alfor.” He glanced at Lotor. “And your mother’s name was…Honnerva, wasn’t it?” Lotor nodded, wordlessly. “So…if you combine the two of them…you get…Alnerva.” He scratched at his ear. “I heard that combining names like that is pretty common for Galra, but if it’s not something that Alteans do-“

“I love it.” Allura surprised herself, both by saying so and by managing to get the words out through the tears streaking down her face. “Keith, I…I love it.”

“You…you do?”

“ _Yes._ It’s perfect, don’t you think? These two…they’re the result of a union that brought together a whole universe. They’re part of a new generation that will finally know peace instead of war, and I…I can’t think of a better way to honor that than by giving them names that honor the past as much as they acknowledge the future.”

“Oh…” Keith finally smiled, soft and hesitant. “Wow, I…okay. It’s yours then.”

Carefully, Lotor reached down and scooped their daughter into his arms. She let out a quiet babble before settling against his chest again. “Alnerva then.” His voice was heavy, thick with an emotion Allura couldn’t place. “I’d say it’s a perfect name for the new Takkel Mar.”

Allura couldn’t agree more.


End file.
